Miner&#39;s dinner-bucket.



PATENTED JAN. s, w05rl J. F. MGNIBL;

MINBNS DINNER BUCKET.

v APPLICATION FILED BEPT. 10, 1904.

d Inventar M54 attorney;

UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE F. MONTEL, OF DOOLEY, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. E. TRINKLE, OF DOOLEY, VIRGINIA.

IVIINERS DINNER-BUCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,883, dated January 3, 1905.

Application filed September l0, 1904. Serial No. 224,032.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, J EssE F. MONTEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dooley, in the county of Wise and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Miners Dinner-Buckets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates'to articles of manufacture known as dinner buckets or pails ordinarily embodying a lamp-chamber, at the base and superposed chambers variously arranged for heating the numerous articles comprising the lunch or dinner taken from the home to the place of employment.

The main object of the invention is to provide a dinner-bucket adapted to the needs of miners, where the buckets receive rough usage and the conditions of work involve an atmosphere laden with smoke, dust, and gases, forbidding the employment of a volatile burning fluid.

A further object of the invention is a miners dinner-bucket that may be made at small eX- pense by unskilled labor in a mountain shop, without the employment of the more or less expensive shaping and beading-rolls, ac., required in the manufacture of such buckets at present known to me.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the matters to be described hereinafter in detail, and claimed in the claims at the close of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating a miners dinner-bucket constructed in accordance with my invention, Figure l is a view in elevation of a bucket embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the provision-tray. Fig. I is a fragmentary sectional view, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In the manufacture of my miners lunchbucket I construct a' rectangular body or case A, each side of which is formed of a single lat sheet of tin, the four flat sides being joined or united throughout their vertical edges by soldered joints to make a water-tight case. From this construction it will be seen that no curving of the four sheets is required, the meeting or vertical edges being united by a simple solder joint or they may be lock-seamed and soldered, an operation requiring no apparatus save the ordinary tinners tools universally employed in ,country shops Where fine or elaborate work is not required.

. Somewhat above the lower end of the body or case A a bottom B is permanently secured, the joints between the bottom and the vertical walls or sides of the case being made moisture-proof or non-leakable in a manner well known in the art and not necessary to describe. A non-leaking vessel or tray C of less crosssectional area than the case is removably seated therein, its bottom resting upon brackets a, located at a distance above the bottom B toaiford space for liquids-such as coffee, tea, &c.-which may form a part of the lunch or dinner of the miner. This vessel or tray C is designed to contain the food carried by the miner for his lunch or dinner and is divided by partitions c and c' into compartments c2, c3, and oi to receive meats, vegetables, bread, and pastry or such articles as the appetite of the miner requires. As shown, the compartment 02 is designed to receive meat and vegetables which contain moisture, and

the smaller compartments c3 and cL are intended for bread, pastry, and the like, which deteriorate as palatable foods when rendered moist by absorption of moisture Vfrom other foods.

Above the tray C and restingV snugly upon the partitions c and c is a cover I), shaped and of a size to fit snugly within the case A, and as the partitions are slightly higher than the vertical walls of the tray it is apparentthat vapor rising from the compartment c2 will not pass into the compartments o3 and c4. This cover is provided at a suitable point centrally, as here shown, with an upright venttube E, the lower end ofwhich communicates with the three compartments of the tray c2,

c3, and c4, thus affording ventilation through the single tube to the several compartments of the tray. The vent-tube is preferably closed by a perforated cap c, which permits emission of vapors rising from the case or the tray, but prevents ingress of coal-dust or other undesirable matter.

The vessel or case A is closed at top by a cap F, formed of a flatmetal sheet crimped at its edges to form a flange f to overhang the top edge of the case, and a depending flange f', fitting not quite snugly within the top of the case. This' cap is provided at a proper point centrally, as shown, with an opening f2, through which the vent-tube E of the cover D protrudes, and the depending'fiange is of a height to rest upon the margins of the cover and sustain the flange f slightly above the top edge ofthe case. The case is fitted at diametrically opposite sides with ears A bent outward and inward at approximately right angles, thus constituting keepers to engage and hold the overhung fiange f of the cap. To the upper end of the ears are pivoted the opposite ends of a bail G, proportioned with respect to the cap to permit the passage of'the arm of a man, whereby the bucket may be carried on the arm and the hands left free.

A bottom H is removably secured to the lower end of the case by means of right-angled hinge-pintles 7e., which may be slipped into and out of loops or eyes a', secured to the wall of the case, said bottom H being pro vided on its opposite edge margin with a strap or latch 71.', adapted to engage a stud or keeper ft2, projecting from the wall of the case. A stop ft2 is provided to prevent the removable bottom from being' slid out of hinged position when in a closed condition. The removable bottom when used is designed to hold a lamp I (which may be an ordinary miners lamp) and forms the bottom wall of a lamp or heating chamber J, the other walls of which comprise the side walls of the case and the fixed bottom or partition B. The side walls of the heating or lamp chamber are perforated near the lower margin, as at af, to admit air needed to support combustion, and a smoke-vent ci is provided near the top of the chamber to carry ofi the unconsumed products of combustion and promote circulation of air in the chamber.

A compartment K is formed between the cover l) and cap F, which may be conveniently used to carry packages of sugar, salt, &c. since moisture is excluded from this compartment, due to the construction described.

In use coffee, tea, or other desired liquid will be poured into the vessel upon the fixed bottom B and food stored in the compartments of the tray C, which will then be inserted in the vessel, resting on the brackets a* above the coee, as will be understood, the ycover D having now been inserted and resting on the partitions of the tray and the cap F putain place to close the top of the vessel or bucket. Heat being now introduced into the heating-chamber J, the coffee will be v-heated and .in turn impart heat to the tray above it. thus warming the contents thereof. Steam rising from the coffee will ascend between the walls of the tray and bucket, passing beneath the cover D and above the compartments of the tray to the central vent-tube E and escape thence to the atmosphere. Should any steam from the coffee pass between the edges of the cover D and the walls of the bucket, it finds ready escape between the top edge of the latter and the overhanging flange of the cap F.

Tin or other serviceable cups, together with knives, forks, z'c., may be carried in the heating-chamber J or elsewhere, the compartment K being well adapted for such small articles as mentioned, which will not interfere with the packages of salt, sugar, &c., which may be carried therein.

While it is designed that the bucket be heated by a miners or other lamp preferably burning lard-oil, it will be seen that the removable bottom H may be taken off and the bucket placed above a bed of live coals, or other sources of heat may be employed in the same manner.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire Vto secure by- Letters Patent, of' the United States, is-

1. A miners dinner-bucket consisting of a case having a fixed bottom above its lower end, a removable-compartment tray supported above the bottom by brackets projecting from the walls of the case, a removable cover snugly fitting the case and supported on the partitions of the tray and having a single vent-tube communicating with the several compartments of the tray, and a cap having outward and depending fianges and an opening to receive the vent-tube of' the cover, substantially as described.

2. A miners dinner-bucket consisting of a case having a fixed bottom above its lower end,a removable-compartment tray supported above the bottom by brackets projecting from the walls of the case, a removable cover snugly fittingA the case and supported on the partitions of the tray and having a single vvent-tube communicating with-the several compartments of the tray, a ca-p having outward and depending fianges and an opening to receive the vent-tube of the cover, and a hinged bottom to close the lower end of the case, substantially as described.

3. A miners dinner-bucket consisting of a case havingI a fixed bottom above its lower end, a removable-compartment tray supported above the bottom by brackets projecting from the walls of the case, a removable cover IIO IIS

snugly fitting the case and supported on the In testimony whereof I have signed myname partitions of the tray and having a single to this specification in the presence of tWo sub- IO vent-tube communicating with the several sorbing Witnesses.

compartments of the tray, a cap having out- `5 Ward and depending flanges and an opening JEbSE F MCNIEL to receive the vent-tube ofthe cover, and a re- Witnesses: movable hinged bottom to close the lower JOHN TRINKLE,

end of the case, substantially as described. B. C. CAssITY. 

